Thermal and/or acoustic insulation packaging

ABSTRACT

A package of thermal and/or acoustic insulation material has a carrying handle secured to its enveloping film. The carrying handle comprises a handle film having at least one incision which separates an attachment portion of the handle film which is secured to a portion of the surface of the enveloping film from an integral grip portion of the handle film which is configured to allow a user&#39;s hand to be inserted between the grip portion and the enveloping film to grip the package.

This invention relates to packaging of thermal and/or acoustic insulation materials, and particularly to packaging which facilitates manual handling. It is particularly suitable for use with mineral wool insulation, for example glass wool or rock wool insulation.

Thermal and/or acoustic insulation tends to be bulky. For ease of handling individual packages of insulation are often assembled as a large package, for example of the type disclosed in WO 2004/103821. Such large packages are handled mechanically using appropriate mechanical handling equipment, for example using conveyor belts, packaging machinery, fork lift trucks and clamp trucks. Nevertheless, when individual packages of insulation are to be manipulated by hand, for example at the point of sale or during use of an individual package, their combined bulk and weight (often of the order of 8-16 kg) means that gripping an individual package by hand is not always convenient, especially if it is desired to grip more than one package at a time.

It is known to provide handles on individual packages of insulation to facilitate manual handling. For example:

-   WO 93/21078A1 discloses a handle in the form of a film strip (6)     secured to a film wrapping (3) which envelopes the mineral wool     products. The handle (6) is secured on the outside of the package at     a position where the film wrapping (3) overlaps itself and is     arranged so that there is an opening formed between the strip (6)     and the package. -   WO 01/10737A1 discloses a carrying handle for a mineral wool package     in the form of a strip connected to the outside wrapping of the     package by adhesive bonding or sealing, the connection being     interrupted in at least one carrying region beneath which the user     can grip. -   EP1798164A1 describes the problems of automatically attaching the     handles disclosed in WO 01/10737A1 and proposes an alternative     arrangement in which a handle 41 projects partially around the     circumference of the packaging from the overlapping portion of the     enveloping film.

None of these previously proposed arrangements has provided complete satisfaction. It is thus an aim of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement which combines practicality of use with appropriate ease and cost of manufacture.

According to one aspect, the invention provides a package of insulation material as defined in claim 1. According to another aspect, the invention provides a method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material as defined in claim 10. The dependent claims define preferred and/or alternative embodiments.

In accordance with the aspect of the invention defined in claim 1, the carrying handle comprises a handle film having at least one incision which separates an attachment portion of the handle film which is secured to a portion of the surface of the enveloping film from an integral grip portion of the handle film which is configured to allow a user's hand to be inserted between the grip portion and the enveloping film to grip the package.

The invention is particularly suitable for use with rolls or batts or mineral wool insulation (including glass wool and rock wool) especially where the package is elongate, for example have a length in the range of 0.5 m to 1.5 m and a diameter (or width and depth) in the range 0.3 m to 0.5 m. In such packages, the insulation material is generally held in compression, for example by an enveloping film; this invention is particularly suited to such packages. The invention is particularly useful for smaller sizes of packages of insulation which configures to facilitate manual handling, for examples packages having a length in the range 0.5 m to 0.8 m, for example a length of about 0.6 m.

In one preferred embodiment, the handle film is provided in the form of a patch or label, for example in the form of a continuous roll of carrying handles. Such a format facilitates manufacture of the carrying handles and their automatic application to packages of insulation.

The handle film may comprise an extruded polymer; it may comprise a laminate of a plurality of films, preferably a cross laminate and more preferably a cross laminate of extruded polymer films. Such constructions provide good mechanical resistance for thin films. The handle film may comprise of or consist essentially of polyethylene.

The carrying handles may be secured to the surface of the enveloping film by an adhesive.

The handle film may be provided with an adhesive at its attachment portions, preferably a contact adhesive which does not require heat activation. In one embodiment the face of the handle film adapted to be placed in contact with the enveloping film of the package is provided with an adhesive at both the attachment portion and the grip portion, with the adhesive present at the grip portion being rendered totally or partially non-adhesive, for example by being coated with a non-adhesive layer or covering and/or being deactivated using an adhesive kill, for example a varnish coating. Such a configuration facilitates the adaptation and use of standard, mass produced self adhesive films for the carrying handles.

The handle film may be provided on a carrier film adapted to facilitate its manipulation and/or application to the packaging. For example, where the handle film carries an adhesive adapted to participate in securing the carrying handle to the packaging, the handle film may be provided with a release film covering the adhesive which is adapted to be removed to permit adhesion of the handle film to the package; this may be a release paper, for example a silicone coated backing paper.

The use of incision(s) to define an attachment portion and a grip portion of the carrying handle facilitates manufacture of the carrying handles from standard, mass produced films in a single, simple supplementary manufacturing operation. Alternatively or additionally, the use of incisions facilitates embodiments in which the grip portion is defined in a central portion of the handle film surrounded or substantially surrounded by the attachment portion of the carrying handle; such a configuration provides a large surface area for the attachment portion which facilitates secure attachment to the enveloping film of the package and assists in providing an even distribution of forces to the enveloping film when the package is lifted or handled using the grip portion.

The incision(s) may be stamped or die cut in the handle film. Rip stops may be provided as a prolongation of the incisions, for example a curved or arced prolongation.

The carrying handle may have:

-   -   a length greater than about 150 mm, 180 mm, 200 mm or 220 mm;         and/or     -   a length less than about 350 mm, 320 mm, 300 mm or 280 mm;         and/or     -   a width greater than about 50 mm, 75 mm or 100 mm; and/or     -   a width less than about 160 mm or 140 mm.

One preferred size for the carrying handle is a length of about 250 mm and a width of about 120 mm; such a size provides a good combination of available surface area for the attachment portion and the grip portion of the carrying handle whilst being easily manipulated during automatic application to a package and without requiring excessive amounts of material. The carrying handle may be substantially rectangular.

The carrying film may have a thickness greater than 80 μm or 100 μm and/or less than 200 μm or 170 μm

Where the grip portion is provided as a elongate portion in the form of a strip, it may have a width greater than 25 mm and/less than 50 mm; it may have a length greater than 90 mm and/or less than 150 mm.

In particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention an enveloping film of low thickness (for example 35 to 70 μm) is used, with the configuration of the carrying handle being arranged to provide adequate resistance (to allow the package to be carried and handled using the grip portion without ripping of the carrying handle) and suitable force distribution to the enveloping film (to avoid ripping of the enveloping film when the carrying handle is used).

Preferably, the carrying handle lies flat against the surface of the packaging; this helps to avoid the risk of snagging, for example when the package is handled by mechanical handling equipment. Particularly where the packaged insulation material is resiliently deformable, for example if the package is a package of mineral wool insulation, the user may insert his or her hand or fingers between the grip portion and the enveloping film by pushing against and slighting deforming the insulation material so as to grip the grip portion.

The handle film may be transparent; this provides that advantage of allowing the carrying handle to be positioned over the enveloping film without obscuring any markings or information printed on the enveloping film. This facilitates the manufacturing process as the enveloping film need not be designed specially to receive a carrying handle (so that the same enveloping film can be used for packages provided or not provided with carrying handles) and it avoids the necessity of aligning the position of the carrying handle with a specific position around the periphery of the package.

The handle film may be configured to allow it to be applied to the package using part of the mechanism of a label printer and/or label applicator. Label printers and/or label applicators are commonly used in the packaging process for insulation materials and a method in which a label printer and/or label applicator is used to apply the carrying handle to the package has the advantage of allowing standard equipment, often pre-existing equipment at a manufacturing line, to be used to apply a carrying handle. The handle film, and any carrier film when present, may pass through the print head of a label printer/applicator in the process of applying the carrying handle to the package. It is advantageous if the thickness of the handle film (including any carrier film) is less than 300 μm, preferably less than 250 μm or 220 μm, to facilitate such a possibility.

The carrying handle may carry printed information adapted to be visible to a purchaser or user of the package; such information may be printed on to the carrying handle as part of the process of applying the carrying handle to the package (for example where the carrying handle passes through the print head of a label printer) and/or may be provided on the handle film in a separate step. Particularly where the handle film is transparent, a printed indication may be used to facilitate identification of the grip portion.

Particularly when the carrying handle is adapted to be applied to the package using a label applicator, the handle film and/or any carrier film may include a visual marking indicating the position of the leading and/or training edge of a carrying handle. For example, where carrying handles are provided on a roll, a marking, for example in the form or a machine readable line running across part or all of the width of the roll may be used to provide an indication of the position of the carrying handle. Particularly when the handle film is transparent, such a visual marking may be provided on any carrier film.

Preferably, a package in accordance with the invention is provided with a single carrying handle. Such an arrangement provides the desired functionality whist minimising additional packaging materials and costs. Nevertheless, in some embodiments, a plurality of carrying handles may be provided as part of each package, such multiple carrying handles be spaced axially along the length of the package and/or circumferentially around the perimeter of the package.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the package comprises two axially aligned rolls of mineral wool insulation encased by a circumferential enveloping film which is provided with a circumferential perforation, weakness or rip cord at an axial position corresponding to abutting ends of the axially aligned rolls. Individual carrying handle attached to the external circumference of the package on the enveloping film, each at a position corresponding to a central position along the length of each respective mineral wool roll, facilitae handling both of the entire package and of each individual roll when separated from the package.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention comprising a roll of mineral wool insulation;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the invention comprising slabs of mineral wool insulation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternative orientation for the carrying handle;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one form of carrying handle;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a roll of carrying handles;

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are plan views of alternative forms of carrying handle; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 1 shown a package 10 comprising a roll of mineral wool insulation 11 held in compression by an enveloping film 12 and provided with a single carrying handle 13. The carrying handle 13 is secured to the external surface of the enveloping film 12 by adhesive (not shown). The positioning of the carrying handle 13 substantially centrally along the axial length of the package proximate to the centre of gravity of the package facilitates balance and stability of the package when manually gripped using the handle. The enveloping film 12 entirely surrounds the circumferential perimeter of insulation roll 11 and partially covers each end face 14 of the roll 11.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the package 20 comprises a series of stacked slabs of insulation material 21 with a carrying handle 23 secured to the enveloping film 22 at a central position of one side face of the package.

In the FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 arrangements, a grip portion 15, 25 of the carrying handle 13, 23 comprises a strip which projects substantially along the axis of the package. FIG. 3 shows and alternative arrangement in which the grip portion 35 of the carrying handle 33 comprises a strip which projects at an angle of about 90° to the axis of the package. In other potentially advantageous arrangements (not illustrated) the grip portion may comprises a strip which projects at an angle of about 30°, or 45° to the axis of the package.

The embodiment of a carrying handle 43 shown in FIG. 4 comprises a handle film 41 provided with a pair of spaced incisions 46, 47 which separate a central grip portion 45 of the handle film 41 from a peripheral attachment portion 44 of the handle film 41. Each incision 46, 47 is provided with a rip stop 48 at each of its ends to prevent undesired ripping of the handle film 41 when a package is gripped and handled using the grip portion 45. In this embodiment, the rip stops 48 are provided as continuations of the incisions 46, 47 taking the form of an arc which continues the incision so that it has a portion which projects away from the grip portion 45 and continues by double backing upon itself to project towards the grip portion 45, preferably towards a central position of the grip portion.

In this embodiment the handle film 41 is transparent and is provided with a visual indication 49 in the form of a printed message readable by the user.

The handle film 41 is provided with an adhesive layer over the entire surface intended to be secured to the enveloping film of the package, the adhesive at the position of the grip portion 45 being “killed” by a varnish coating applied to this portion. The total thickness (handle film+adhesive+varnish+ink) is about 170 μm. The carrying handles are provided on a carrier film provided by a glassine backing paper liner (not shown) having a thickness of about 60 μm. The total thickness of the carrying handles and the carrier film is thus less than 250 μm.

The carrying handles may be provided in the form of a continuous roll 50 as illustrated schematically in FIG. 5. A machine readable black line (not shown) is provided across the width of the roll on the underside of the carrier film at a position corresponding to the separation 51 between adjacent carrying handles 53 on the roll; this is used to facilitate positioning and automatic application of the carrying handles 53 to a package of insulation.

In the embodiment of a carrying handle 63 shown in FIG. 6, the handle film is again provided with a pair of spaced incisions 66, 67 which define a central grip portion of the handle film spaced from a peripheral attachment portion. Each incision 66, 67 is provided with a rip stop 68 at each of its ends to prevent undesired ripping of the handle film. In this embodiment, the rip stops 68 are again provided as continuations of the incisions 66, 67 taking the form of an arc which continues the incision so that it has a portion which projects away from the grip portion and continues by double backing upon itself to project towards the grip portion, before again doubling back on itself to again project away from the grip portion. In the FIG. 7 embodiment, the rip stops 78 of the carrying handle 73 are again provided as continuations of the incisions 76, 77 which, in this case, take the form of an arc which continues the incision so that it has a portion which projects away from the grip portion and continues by double backing upon itself to project towards the grip portion and ending in a portion which projects towards the start of the arc of the rip stop. Each rip stop may take the form of a spiral or part of a spiral; spiral forms of rip stops may turn through an angle greater than 170°, 180°, 260°, 270°, 350° or 360° and/or an angle less than 540°.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 also illustrate a portion of the carrying handle at which an adhesive provided on the handle film is deactivated with adhesive kill. This portion 62, 72 of the carrying handle may extend over the entire grip portion; it may extend slightly beyond the grip portion. This portion of the carrying handle may extend at least partially in to the rip stops. Where rips stops are provided as arcing continuations of the incisions, a tangent to the rip stop at the position at which the rip stop encounters a transition between an adhesive and a non-adhesive portions of the carrying handle is preferably offset or forms an angle, preferably an angle of between 10° and 80° with respect to a principle axis of the grip portion of the carrying handle.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the package 80 comprise two axially aligned rolls of mineral wool insulation 81, 82 encased by a circumferential enveloping film 83. A circumferential weakness 84, preferably provided by perforations, in the enveloping film 83 allows easy separation of the package 80 in to its two individual rolls 81,82. Individual first 91 and second 92 carrying handles are attached to the external circumference of the package 80 on the enveloping film, each at a position corresponding to a central position along the length of the respective first 81 and second 82 mineral wool rolls. As shown here, the individual first 91 and second 92 carrying handles may be axially aligned with each other.

FIG. 8 also illustrates a circumferential positioning of a carrying handle 91 spaced from and, in this case, substantially opposite an overlap portion 101 of the enveloping film 83. The overlap portion 101 is shown separated from the enveloping film 83 for illustrative purposes but in use will be bonded to the enveloping film 83. The carrying handle, or the central axis of the carrying handle, may be spaced from the overlap portion 101 by at least 90°, or by at least 120° and preferably by about 180°. This may help to avoid any strain from manipulation of the package using the carrying handle pulling on the overlap portion 101; such strain could create a risk of opening the package by undesired detachment of the overlap portion 101. In an alternative, non-illustrated arrangement, the carrying handle may straddle the overlap portion, preferably such that at least about a third of the carrying handle is attached to the enveloping film 83 at one side of the overlap portion 101 and at least about a third of the carrying handle is attached to the enveloping film 83 at the other side of the overlap portion 101. In this latter configuration, the carrying handle may assist in preventing undesired detachment of the overlap portion 101 from the enveloping film 83.

The FIG. 8 arrangement is particularly suitable for two compressed mineral wool insulation rolls each having a width of about 60 cm, 70 cm or 80 cm and the approximate illustrative dimensions shown in FIG. 8 are: w=60 cm; x=17.5 cm; Cx=25 cm; Cy=12 cm. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A package of insulation material comprising: thermal and/or acoustic insulation material at least partially surrounded by an enveloping film and a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package, wherein the carrying handle comprises a handle film having at least one incision which separates (i) an attachment portion of the handle film which is secured to a portion of the surface of the enveloping film from (ii) an integral grip portion of the handle film which is configured to allow fingers of a user to be inserted between the grip portion and the enveloping film to grip the package.
 2. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one incision comprises a rip stop at its ends.
 3. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion of the handle film forms the periphery of the handle film and the grip portion is positioned entirely within this periphery.
 4. The package of insulation material according to claim 3, wherein the grip portion comprises an elongate portion of the interior area of the handle film separated from the peripheral attachment portion of the handle film by a pair of spaced incisions in the handle film.
 5. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the width of the carrying handle is in the range of 10 cm to 14 cm and the length of the carrying handle is in the range of 16 cm to 30 cm.
 6. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the package has a length in the range of 0.5 m to 1.3 m and a weight in the range of 5 kg to 10 kg.
 7. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the insulation material is selected from glass wool and rock wool.
 8. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the carrying handle extends only partially around the perimeter of the package.
 9. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the package comprises: first and second axially aligned rolls of mineral wool insulation encased by a circumferential enveloping film, the circumferential enveloping film being provided with a circumferential weakness at an axial position corresponding to abutting ends of the axially aligned rolls; a first carrying handle attached to the external circumference of the package on the enveloping film at a first side of the circumferential weakness and at a position corresponding to a central position along the length of the first mineral wool roll; and a second carrying handle attached to the external circumference of the package on the enveloping film at a second side of the circumferential weakness and at a position corresponding to a central position along the length of the second mineral wool roll.
 10. The package of insulation material according to claim 1, wherein the carrying handle is spaced around the perimeter of the package from an overlap portion of the enveloping film by at least 120°.
 11. A method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material comprising thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, comprising the steps of: at least partially surrounding the insulation material with an enveloping film; and securing a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package to a portion of the enveloping film, wherein the carrying handle is provided on a continuous roll of carrying handles and is fed through at least part of a label printer/label attachment mechanism as part of the process of securing the carrying handle to the package.
 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the roll of carrying handles is provided with a visual marker adapted to identify the position of individual label handles on the roll of carrying handles.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the roll of carrying handles comprises a carrier film comprising a release film supporting the carrying handles.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the combined thickness of the release film and the label handles is in the range of 120 μm to 300 μm.
 15. A method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material comprising thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, comprising the steps of: at least partially surrounding the insulation material with an enveloping film; and securing a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package to a portion of the enveloping film, wherein the carrying handle is provided on a continuous roll of carrying handles and is fed through at least part of a label printer/label attachment mechanism as part of the process of securing the carrying handle to the package, and wherein the package is a package according to claim
 1. 16. A method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material comprising thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, comprising the steps of: at least partially surrounding the insulation material with an enveloping film; and securing a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package to a portion of the enveloping film, wherein the carrying handle is provided on a continuous roll of carrying handles and is fed through at least part of a label printer/label attachment mechanism as part of the process of securing the carrying handle to the package, and wherein the package is a package according to claim
 3. 17. A method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material comprising thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, comprising the steps of: at least partially surrounding the insulation material with an enveloping film; and securing a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package to a portion of the enveloping film, wherein the carrying handle is provided on a continuous roll of carrying handles and is fed through at least part of a label printer/label attachment mechanism as part of the process of securing the carrying handle to the package, and wherein the package is a package according to claim
 4. 18. A method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material comprising thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, comprising the steps of: at least partially surrounding the insulation material with an enveloping film; and securing a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package to a portion of the enveloping film, wherein the carrying handle is provided on a continuous roll of carrying handles and is fed through at least part of a label printer/label attachment mechanism as part of the process of securing the carrying handle to the package, and wherein the package is a package according to claim
 6. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the package has a length in the range of 0.5 m to 0.8 m.
 20. A method of securing a carrying handle to a package of insulation material comprising thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, comprising the steps of: at least partially surrounding the insulation material with an enveloping film; and securing a carrying handle configured to facilitate manual handling of the package to a portion of the enveloping film, wherein the carrying handle is provided on a continuous roll of carrying handles and is fed through at least part of a label printer/label attachment mechanism as part of the process of securing the carrying handle to the package, and wherein the package is a package according to claim
 7. 